First in North America + Second in the World! (First WCA Competition in 17 Months)
Note: This post is pinned to the top of my blog.
On Saturday, July 17, 2021, I competed in Idaho Summer B 2021, my first cubing competition since February 2020 (the COVID-19 pandemic prevented me from going to any competitions for almost seventeen months). I was extremely excited and glad to finally be able to return to competing, despite the various COVID protocols/restrictions in place during the event.
In the weeks leading up to this competition, I practiced a lot. Every day, I practiced by simulating the competition environment as closely as possible; for example, I wore a mask while solving. Since it had been a year and a half since I last competed, I came into the Idaho Falls competition without high expectations, but an optimistic mindset nevertheless.
I managed to completely kill it at this competition, where I most notably broke the North American Record for Square-1 average of 5! An average of 5 in cubing is calculated by doing 5 solves, throwing out the fastest and slowest times, and taking the mean of the remaining three. I ended up getting an average of 6.37 seconds. This is also the first sub-7 and sub-6.5 second Square-1 average done by someone in North America!
Other Achievements:
Other Links:
An Instagram post by YJ, the manufacturer of the cube I used at the competition. They decided to do a giveaway of the same cube model because of my record!
A SpeedSolving Forums thread about my North American Record
The product page of the cube I used to set the record
All of my results from Idaho Summer B 2021
Conclusion:
Overall, I’m extremely satisfied, fulfilled, and proud of how I did at my first post-quarantine competition. Breaking the North American Record was, to me, a prime example of working hard towards a goal, as well as seeing drive and determination pay off. I’d like to thank my sponsor, TheCubicle, for supporting me in my cubing journey and constantly providing me with the newest and best cubes. But thank you, most of all, to all my friends and family who continue to root me on and motivate me to improve every single day. Here’s to many more successes in the future!